AFGE vice president Bowman dies

Dwight Bowman, the national vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees’ 14th district, died suddenly Wednesday morning, the union announced.

“It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to a union brother, effective leader and dear friend,” AFGE National President J. David Cox said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with his wife, Gwendlyn, and the rest of his family.”

Bowman was serving his third term as national vice president of the 14th district, which encompasses Washington, D.C., and surrounding areas in Maryland and Virginia.

Bowman began his AFGE career nearly 40 years ago as president of a local unit at the Smithsonian Institution. At the time, employees there were not covered by federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regulations and other labor relations laws, according to an AFGE release. Bowman worked to merge the local with another unit and to negotiate a contract that fully covered employees.